Oakville volunteers thanked as the heart of the YMCA

Oakville volunteers thanked as the heart of the YMCA

A defining moment in Bonnie Jackson’s life happens when she helps someone become a champion for the YMCA and its work in the community.

Jackson was one of 435 YMCA of Oakville volunteers in 2013 that contributed 12,893 hours of their time to various Y programs — time valued at $267,000.

She was one of several people recognized for their voluntary efforts at the Oakville Y’s annual general meeting and volunteer awards ceremony Monday.

Although Jackson wasn’t one of the award recipients, she was applauded for her contributions to the Strong Kids campaign.

“Once I learned the YMCA wasn’t a gym and swim (organization), I realized it is doing so much for the community. I wanted to be part of this story and I wanted to do what I could to make a difference,” said Jackson.

Joining the Y in 2006, Jackson became a volunteer because there was “something I can do and some way I can help,” she said.

“(The YMCA) doesn’t turn away anybody who is needy. It doesn’t turn them away from membership or for day care or camps. I could see that I was able to make a difference,” said Jackson.

In 2009, she joined a committee to help Y’s Strong Kids program.

The Oakville woman said the key to successful fundraising was educating her friends and colleagues on the “Y story” and the need for balance between funds raised and financial assistance offered.

“Something that always makes my day is hearing a yes on the other end of the phone,” she said.

Later that year, Jackson received a $40,000 donation from a friend, which was one of the largest annual gifts given to the Strong Kids campaign.

“It had so many zeros on it, I had to sit down to digest the meaning of this gift from a generous, caring, thoughtful friend, who believed in the Y as much as I did,” said Jackson.

The eight-year volunteer is now involved in the group’s Beyond These Walls initiative, which takes Y programs “beyond the walls” of the Rebecca Street facility and brings them to underserved Oakville neighbourhoods, Jackson said.

“If more people knew that the Y is supporting day care, camps and memberships for people who can’t afford it, the more donors, supporters and volunteers it is going to have,” said Jackson.

In April, the YMCA of Oakville was awarded three international awards for fundraising communications excellence by the North American YMCA Development Organization (NAYDO).

These were the first NAYDO awards earned by the Rebecca Street Y — more than any other YMCA internationally.

The organization particularly credits the fundraising efforts of Jackson and volunteer board member Peter Kolisnyk for the awards.

For their continued support, Kolisnyk and Jackson were given special awards by the Oakville Y earlier this year.

Kolisnyk, a 2013 Volunteer Award recipient, has been a YMCA of Oakville board member for three years.

His involvement in the Strong Kids initiative in 2013 helped raise awareness and funds for the Fill the Bus campaign, which raised more than $72,000 to send 224 children to camp. Fill the Bus won a NAYDO award for Annual Support Campaign.

“It really was an incredible accomplishment that we were able to do this with 100 per cent support of our community,” said Kolisnyk. “The greatest reward was knowing we played a small little part in 224 children’s lives.”

Kolisnyk said he hasn’t recognized “the full potential of what the Y experiences meant to me.”

“The Y became my second home. It is a wonderful place to fit in. The more things changed in my career, the more they stayed the same at the Y.”